Can You Bring Alcohol on a Plane? A Useful Guide

I remember after my first international trip from Thailand (read about my trip on the link) I brought back two bottles of Thai Whiskey. Being a naive traveler in those days I thought I was an international criminal, smuggling liquor into America. Well it turns out I did nothing illegal, so there ended my life of crime (or did it?). I have been bringing back alcohol on planes for years now, but there are things one needs to know depending on the situation. There are different rules depending on if you are checking your bag or you if are bringing alcohol in with your carry-on bags.

First, I would like to state that this post is for people regarding the United States, your country of destination may have different laws that you must follow!

Rules are constantly changing, I will do my best to keep up with them, by updating this post. The information in this article will get you 99% there for most situations for the foreseeable future. Unless you are doing something crazy, like checking a Keg, this information should hold up. So, when asking can I bring alcohol on a plane? The answer is YES, but with some rules. Different scenarios call for different actions when liquor (or liquids) are involved. Let me break down some of the different scenarios and rules for bringing alcohol on a plane.

Can I Bring Alcohol on a plane if I Check My Luggage?

I answered this already, but it bears repeating. Yes, you can bring alcohol on a plane if you check your luggage. There are some caveats to the statement above. First, any item that is illegal, such as Absinthe if it contains too much thujone should not be brought on. I may know a traveler who did (mistakenly) commit a crime by doing this, but I am sure the statute of limitations is up, so he is fine. You can buy Absinthe in the United States, but there are packaging and ingredient requirements that make international Absinthe ~~better~~ different! Moral: If you are buying something in which you have no idea what it is, think twice or do some research!

Can you bring alcohol on a plane in most other cases? The answer is yes depending on the strength of the product. Wine and beer are allowed in unlimited quantities. The TSA even has the exclamation mark on their site here when telling us this. If you are bringing alcohol between 24% – 70% there is a limit to the amount you can bring. That limit is 5 liters a traveler, assuming the person is over 21. So, if you and your partner want to bring back 10 liters, go for it. If the alcohol is above 70% it is illegal to bring on a plane even in a checked bag.

Let’s face it, anything that strong is like bringing gasoline on a flight, which understandably is a no-no. I am not sure why one would want to bring grain alcohol back, but you cannot even if you desired to. It is unlikely that a customs agent would be able to tell the strength of the alcohol if the bottle is in a foreign language, but why risk it? One last note, you cannot bring open bottles of alcohol in your checked luggage, everything must be sealed. To Recap for CHECKED BAGS:

Beer and Wine	You Can Bring an Unlimited Amount
24%-70% Alcohol (49-140 proof)	5- Liters
Above 70% alcohol	Not Allowed
Illegal Items such as Absinthe	Not Allowed
Open Bottles	Not Allowed

Quick guide to Bringing Alcohol in Your Checked Bag

Can I Bring Alcohol in my Carry-on Luggage?

Here again there are several scenarios that need to be taken into consideration. If you want to bring alcohol on a flight for consumption this is possible but may not be necessary. If you are flying Internationally there should be no need to bring alcohol in your carry-on. Many good foreign airlines give you all the booze you can drink to make the 14-hour flight tolerable. Check your airlines policy, some only offer beer and wine. Also, if you are in first class domestically (in the U.S.) you will almost certainly be getting free drinks. Of course, if you are paying for first class domestically, you probably will not be trying to save a couple of bucks on drinks anyway.

So, can you bring alcohol on a plane via carry-on luggage? The answer is yes again, with of course rules. I get it, at $8 a drink for some cheap booze, maybe you would like to save a buck or two. First, you will not be able to get any large bottle through a security checkpoint, no matter where you are flying from (at least to drink on the plane). You may be able to bring it on the plane, but read my update below. It is technically illegal to consume your own alcohol on a plane.

In order to get these bottles on the plane they are to be treated like any other liquid. Buy the mini bottles and put them into Ziploc bags to get them through security. If you really want to be cheap you can buy mini plastic bottles and pour your alcohol into them before you leave the house. That is some next level T-Rex arms advice for the cheapest among us. Now there is an exception to bringing a full bottle of alcohol onto planes.

UPDATE: I recently flew Frontier Airlines, I easily got it through security, I took it out on the plane. For the first time ever the flight attended said ” It is illegal to drink your own alcohol on a plane” during her pre take off message. I flew American on the way back and nothing was said, so most do not know about it. Never heard it before this last trip either and I have flown hundreds of times. You can ignore the law, but it is a risk (especially if they told you) Just a tip, if you need a drink, prep a soda bottle with your drink of choice preboarding. This is a risk you have to consider for yourself. I feel if it was such a big deal they would not let mini bottles through security, but technically you can get hit with steep fines.

Duty-Free Shops

Some people swear buy duty free shops, since you can usually buy some local bottles in a pinch for much cheaper, due to the tax savings. A couple of things to remember about buying alcohol from duty free shops. Number one, the package will be sealed, you cannot drink what you bought on the plane. Some flights even took our duty-free purchases and gave them to us at the end of the flight. Others either do not care or I didn’t realize they did when I shoved the package into my carry on.

A second major consideration, if you are connecting in a place that forces you to go through security a second time, you cannot bring the duty-free packages through. Funny story, I was coming from Panama city, Panama (read my review of the city here), and had to stop in Miami. In the duty-free shop in Panama I bought some rum of which I had been heavily drinking all trip. In Miami I had to go through security again, I almost missed my plane running to the counter so as not to lose the rum I bought. It had to be shoved into my checked bag. Moral of the story…CHECK THE CONNECTIONS!

One last note about duty-free shops, they are for international use only. You cannot use them if you are going from New York to Charlotte. For you to even buy from a duty-free shop you need to present an international ticket. So, to recap, can you bring alcohol on a plane via carry on:

Only Miniature bottles will make it through security, these must be put into Ziploc bags
Bringing alcohol for consumption on the plane may not be necessary on International flights
You can buy full bottles of alcohol using Duty-Free shops, but there are rules also
Duty-Free shops only apply to International travel.

How to Bring Alcohol on a Plane: Some Tips

Now that I went over what I feel are the major laws and rules regarding bringing liquor on a plane, let me give you a couple of tips so one can avoid trouble. One time when transporting my goods in a checked bag I had a very ugly breakage. Apparently, baggage handlers do not always treat luggage with the respect it deserves. There is nothing worse than seeing your alcohol gone and some of your clothes ruined. I have also had times when my liquor has “disappeared”. Whether or not it was something I have done wrong, or it was a crooked custom agent I will never know. There are precautions you can take to avoid problems when transporting alcohol.

Wrapping is your Friend

We have spent many of an hour wrapping and re-wrapping items the night before we left the hotel. Not only alcohol, but also olive oil, really anything that can break. Bubble tape is superior, but at least some clothes for padding will help. You need at least one-layer of defense.

Buy the Right Gear

Amazon sells various products that help protect your bottles of wine/liquor from the mad luggage handlers out there. I have included a link to the Amazon products below if you would like to research further.

I do not use these products now; I will update the posts as I buy them to tell you what I think.

ManinFlight.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Be Careful What You Pack with Your bottles

It may be a good idea to avoid putting red wine next to your $2000 white coat, just in case. Even the best protection can break down, it is better to be safe than sorry.

When in Doubt Ship It

International shipping fees could get up there, but it may be worth it. If you are buying a case of really good wine or a rare bottle of Whiskey, leave it to the professionals. This way you do not have to worry about sticky fingers or breaks.

Keep the Packaging Clear or Easily Removable.

Let us not give anyone a reason why they should take your alcohol. Do not try to hide it or wrap it up in such a way that customs can’t get to it. That might cause more problems than it prevents.

Conclusion

As you can see answering the question “can you bring alcohol on an airplane?” is not as straight forward as one might think. I like to drink as most of you know. I especially like to bring back bottles from different countries. Tasting a bottle, a year after I return brings me back to my destination. It lets me relive a trip until the bottle is gone. Maybe this is why I have so many bottles unopened in my bar, I never want these trips to end!